The Vacation
by Millemini
Summary: Joan forces Auggie to take a vacation. Michael & Danielle decides to give their marriage a 2nd chance and Michael kicks Annie out of the guest house. With her safe house being fumigated Annie needs a place to stay & Auggie lets her stay with him.
1. Chapter 1

**This idea has been spinning around in my head for a while and I finally had the time to write it out. The beauty of slow days at work... ;o)**

**Please review and let me know if you're in for the ride - I have ideas for a storyline that will go over a few chapters if people want to read it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my storyline, I just like to play with Annie & Auggie.**

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><p><strong><span>1. Unexpected events<span>**

The sound of the sliding door leading out to the DPD bullpen opening got Auggie's attention, he slid his headphones down to hang around his neck and turned to face the general direction of the door.

"_Auggie, a word in my office," _Joan said in her cool, commanding boss voice. Auggie quickly pulled off the headphones and put them in their place to the right of his keyboard, grabbed his laser cane and followed his boss to her office. He closed the door behind him as he entered the room.

"_Have a seat. The chair's at your twelve o'clock, about five feet ahead."_ Auggie quickly found the chair and sat, wondering what on earth Joan wanted.

"_When did you last take a vacation?"_

"_Thanksgiving, I spent a long weekend with my family, remember?"_

"_Auggie, I'm not talking about spending a long weekend with your family over a holiday, I'm talking a REAL vacation, two weeks or more."_

"_Umm…well I did go to the jazz festival in Istanbul…"_

"_Yeah, we both know how that turned out Auggie. If your file is correct you haven't taken a real vacation since you came back to the DPD in 2008. That changes now, you've got enough days saved up for a six-week leave and Personnel informed me that you're about to lose two weeks. You're taking those two weeks starting Monday."_

"_What? No Joan, I don't want or need a vacation. And with all the ops going on or starting this isn't the best time for me to take time off."_

"_Auggie, you're one of my best officers, but you're working yourself too hard. As much as I appreciate your commitment it's my job to look after my staff, and I don't want you to run yourself to the ground. Everyone needs a break from time to time, even you. My decision on this is final. Heatherton is fully capable of filling in for you for a couple of weeks, make sure he's briefed on everything by the time you head out on Friday. After that I don't want to see you here until your vacation is over."_

Auggie sighed. He knew he was defeated. Deep down he knew Joan was right, but after he lost his sight vacations didn't have the same appeal to him as when he could see. It wasn't like he could just find some cheap tickets online and jump on a plane to wherever he could afford or throw his tent and sleeping bag into the back of his car and head off on an impromptu road trip. Sitting around his apartment for two weeks with nothing to do would drive him crazy, but he realized he just had to try to make the best of it. Maybe he could organize his closet or something...

"_Yes Joan, I'll make sure Stu is fully briefed."_

"_I know you're not too happy about this Auggie, but please try to enjoy your vacation. You need some downtime. We all do from time to time."_

"_I'll do my best,"_ Auggie stated flatly as he rose from his seat. It was Wednesday afternoon; he still had a couple of days to brief Stu and otherwise prepare his team for his absence.

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><p>When he logged off and shut down his computer Friday afternoon Auggie hoped he'd managed to prepare Stu and the rest of the Tech Ops team to cover for him. He knew better than to defy Joan's orders of staying away from Langley during his vacation. With a sigh he grabbed his folded white cane from the top drawer and put the laser cane in there and locked up. The main thing he really didn't like about taking a vacation at this point was that Annie had headed to Madrid, Spain for a mission that morning and knowing he wouldn't be able to handle it was almost unbearable. He'd tried to persuade Joan to let him postpone his vacation until Annie's mission was completed, but she'd flat out refused. She'd said that Stu was more than capable of handling the mission and that was final. It calmed Auggie's nerves somewhat that the mission seemed fairly straightforward, he'd reviewed the file and gone over every detail of the several times and hadn't found any real indications of trouble. Except Annie herself, for some reason most of her missions seemed to turn out to be a tad more 'entertaining' than Auggie and his team appreciated. He sighed as he reached the front doors and stepped out to the curb to wait for the car to take him home. He had no other choice than to trust that the Tech Ops crew was capable of keeping his best friend safe.<p>

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><p>As the first couple of days of his forced vacation progressed Auggie slowly adjusted to the thought of having some time off. He had worked hard ever since he started back at the DPD over three years earlier, to prove to both himself and everyone he worked with that he was fully capable of filling his position despite being blind and that he was still the best in his field. The last few months had been crazy, especially since Jai had pinched two of his senior team members a couple of months ago. He rarely spent less than 10 hours a day at the office, usually it was closer to 12 and working six or seven-day weeks had become more the rule than the exception. It actually felt good to be able to sleep until he woke up to absolutely no obligations or responsibilities, to be able to just sit around in his sleepwear or sweats and drink coffee, listen to the news or read a book until he felt like taking a shower and getting dressed.<p>

He started to realize just how tired he really was and that Joan was actually right; he did need a break. He was also fully aware that once the initial bliss passed he'd start to become more restless, so he needed to make some plans for the rest of his vacation. He considered going to his parents in Illinois, but decided against it. As much as he loved his parents he knew he'd be just as restless after a few days there, especially because his mother still didn't realize that he wasn't helpless and didn't want or need to be waited on. It usually resulted in some tense moments where Auggie did his best to convince his mother that he was fully capable of making himself a sandwich or getting a beer from the fridge. He could deal with it for a long weekend, but not for a week or longer. It sure as hell wouldn't be the relaxing vacation Joan had ordered him to take.

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><p>"<em>Auggie…Auggie are you there?"<em> Annie's voice slowly pulled Auggie from his slumber. _"Auggie, please, open the door. Come on."_ Auggie flipped his watch open and checked the time; 8:05 pm. He realized he must have fallen asleep sometime during the movie he'd been watching. _"I'm here Annie, just a sec,"_ he called out as he crossed the living area and unlocked and slid the door open. Before he managed to take a step back Annie threw her arms around his neck, sobbing. Auggie just held her in a tight embrace for a few minutes, stroking her back soothingly. Then he quietly asked if she had anything in the hallway she needed to bring inside, she nodded against his chest and let go of him for a few seconds to pull what sounded like a suitcase inside and then she shut and locked the door behind her. Auggie put his arm around her and brought her with him to the sofa.

"_What's going on Annie?"_ Auggie asked softly._  
>"I got home from my mission late last night and guess who was in the kitchen with Danielle when I came in to grab my coffee this morning?"<em>

Before Auggie could answer she carried on. _"Michael. Apparently he's been transferred to the DC office of his new employer and they've decided on trying to save their marriage, for the girls sake I guess."_

"_And this is bad news that has you on my doorstep crying because...?"_ Auggie frowned, he just didn't get why Annie was so upset.

"_As I told you; right after we got back from Stockholm Danielle let me move back to the guest house. Apparently things have changed with Michael back in the picture. He doesn't feel they're safe with me in the house; he actually gave Dani a hard time for letting me move back. I don't know what to do Auggie, I just feel so lost!"_ Annie's voice rose slightly at the end.

"_What does Danielle have to say about this? After all, she's the one that invited you to move back in, right?"_

"_She came up to me while I was packing after I got home from work this afternoon and said she was sorry, but she really wants to try to make things work with Michael and she's not about to argue with him about it. I do get where she's coming from and I understand that she wants Chloe and Katia to grow up with both their parents around. I feel so selfish for being so upset with it."_ Annie sighed and leaned into Auggie's strong shoulder, he tightened his grip around her.

"_Have you talked to Joan about this?"_ he asked quietly.

"_Yeah, she was surprisingly understanding and gave me the rest of the week off and granted my request for a week of my vacation time after that, and promised me to fast track the vetting process as soon as I find a place."_

"_I told you Joan isn't all that bad. I guess we've got some work to do,"_ Auggie said with a smile.

"_We?"_ Annie asked, confusion lacing her voice.

"_I'm on vacation too, remember? It's not like I'm busy, I'd be happy to help you look for a place, well, so-to-speak."_

"_I'm sure you've got more entertaining things planned for your vacation than searching for a place for me."_

"_Not really. It's not like this is something I asked for. Joan forced me to take two weeks off because I was about to lose them and I haven't had a 'proper' vacation since I returned to the DPD after my accident."_

"_So, you were just going to spend two weeks sitting around your apartment, doing nothing? I don't really buy that Aug, you're too restless for that."_

"_What do you suggest I do? It's not like I can just go online, find some cheap airline tickets and just hop on a plane. Four years ago I would've done that or gone on an impromptu road trip, now everything I do requires planning and preferably someone to go with me. Some things you about being blind you just can't get around. It's why I usually don't bother to take vacations."_

Annie didn't know what to say. This was one of those rare occasions when Auggie revealed that there were chinks in his armor. He rarely showed his vulnerable side, he tended to keep things close to the vest. After knowing him for almost two years Annie was aware of this and the fact that she was one of the few people that actually he trusted enough to let her see beyond the happy, confident mask he put on. She was aware that although he seemed to have adjusted to being blind he still struggled with accepting his disability and the limitations it put on him. Usually Annie didn't think much about the fact that Auggie couldn't see; he made it so easy to forget that most of the time it just sort of faded into the background

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"_Are you hungry?"_ Auggie's voice pulled Annie from her musings. She realized she was actually starving.

"_Starving now that you mention it. Danielle tried to persuade me to stay for dinner, but I just couldn't bear facing Michael. The way he looks at me, like I'm some kind of dangerous criminal or something…"_

"_Well, how 'bout we order some food? Pizza? Chinese? Whatever you feel like is fine with me."_

An hour and a half later they'd polished off the pizza and both were on their third beer. Annie was feeling a lot better than when she'd arrived at Auggie's place earlier that night. She was infinitely grateful for having him in her life.

"_I guess I'd better try to find a motel to stay at for the next few days,"_ Annie said with a sigh as she finished her beer and set the empty bottle down on the coffee table.

"_A motel? What about the safe house?"_

"_The whole building's being fumigated, it's off limits for at least a week. My cover docs and everything from my safe is in temporary storage at Langley."_

"_You're welcome to stay here, I don't mind. You'll probably be over here a bit anyway, if we're gonna look for a place for you."_

"_Aug, you're place isn't exactly ideal for a roommate arrangement, even a temporary one."_

"_Hey, we're both adults and my bed is a king. We'll manage,"_ Auggie replied with a wink and a smirk plastered on his face.

"_I'll take the couch, it's fine."_

"_No you're not. That couch is not very comfortable to sleep on, unless you like to wake up with a backache. Trust me, I've passed out there more than once and I always regret it when I wake up."_

"_You really want me in your bed, huh?"_ Annie said, slightly teasing, nudging him in the side with her elbow.

"_What man wouldn't want a hot blonde in his bed?"_ Auggie countered with a confident smirk.

"_Sheesh Aug, you're incorrigible! Ok, as long as you stay on your half of the bed and don't get handsy I guess it's ok. Thanks."_

"_No need to thank me, what kind of friend would I be if I let you stay at a flea ridden, dingy motel when there's room at 'Chez Anderson'?"_

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><p>When Auggie woke up the next morning a slight movement on the opposite side of the bed startled him until a whiff of grapefruit hit his nose and the events of the previous night came back to him. He lay completely still for a few seconds, listening to her breathing. It was calm and even, so as far as he could tell she was still fast asleep. He groped around his nightstand as quietly as possible and located his watch. He quickly checked the time; 8:45 am. He quietly slipped out of bed and padded to the bathroom.<p>

Annie woke up 20 minutes later, the sound of Auggie opening the bathroom door and moving to stand in front of his closet, clad in only a white towel. He pulled a pair of worn jeans and a t-shirt off their hangers and she watched as he crossed over to his dresser and pulled out pair of boxers and socks before heading back to the bathroom. Just as he was about to close the door behind him he turned in her general direction and with a confident smirk plastered across his face said; _"Enjoying the show Walker?"_ Then he turned away and closed the door behind him. Annie felt like an idiot. She'd learned pretty early on that Auggie had kind of a sixth sense and always seemed to know when someone was watching him. This morning she'd forgotten. Auggie regularly wore fitted sweaters and tailored shirts that showed his muscular build at work and Annie had seen him in a tank top in the gym more than once. She knew he kept himself in great shape, but having his muscled upper body, still slightly damp from the shower, on display only a few feet away from her had made it impossible not to stare. She'd thought Auggie was handsome from the first time she met him and as she'd gotten to know him she'd grown aware of the fact that she wanted their relationship to move past the friendship zone. Between her being hung up on Ben, then dating Scott and Auggie's constant flirting and hitting on coeds at Allen's Annie had buried her feelings for Auggie. Now they were waking from their dormant state and Annie didn't quite know what to do about it. Part of her wanted to kick them back to hibernation and just keep tings as they were, but another part of her wanted to confess her feelings to Auggie. The main thing that held her back was her fear of losing the best friend she'd ever had.

A few minutes later Auggie came back into the bedroom. Annie had gotten out of bed and was digging in her suitcase for something to wear and her toiletries. She looked up at Auggie as he crossed the room.

"_Annie?"_ he asked, looking in the direction where he heard the sounds of her looking through her suitcase. He figured she'd placed it on the chair in the corner.

"_Yeah, I'm over in the corner, just trying to find something to wear and my toiletries. Apparently packing when angry and upset isn't a very good idea."_

"_Let me know if you need something. I put some towels for you on the counter, to the left of the sink by the way."_

"_Thanks Auggie…. found it! I'll just jump in the shower real quick and get dressed."_

"_Ok, I'll get some coffee going while you're in the shower then."_

"_Great. Thanks again Aug, you're a lifesaver!"_ In a spur of the moment she walked up to Auggie and planted a kiss on his cheek before heading to the bathroom.

The sudden act of affection startled Auggie slightly and he froze for a few seconds before he managed to compose himself. He'd had feelings for Annie since he met her. The way she'd never seemed to be fazed by his disability, it never seemed to have mattered to her. She'd seen him, not the blind guy, from the first time they met and Annie had quickly become one of few the people that Auggie trusted and opened up to. When they first met she was still hurting over Ben Mercer and when she finally let go of him she'd jumped into a relationship with Dr. Scott. Then Auggie met Parker and he'd pushed his feelings for Annie back into the best friends category. Now he felt those emotions coming to life again and he wasn't sure what he should do about it. Just as Annie, he was afraid of losing his best friend, the one person besides his parents and Joan he trusted implicitly. Annie was too important for him to lose and he knew he needed to thread carefully with her.


	2. The confessions

**Thanks for all of the reviews and alerts on the first chapter! :o)**

**I'm so sorry for taking so long to post this - and for this being a bit short. Work has kept me incredibly busy over the past week, throw in a personal situation to 'spice things up' and you have virtually no time left to write. The next chapter is still very rough, so I'm not sure when it'll be posted. Maybe over the weekend? ;o)**

**DISCLAIMER: The usual - I don't own Covert Affairs.**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 2: The confessions<span>**

Auggie sauntered down the street, heading back to his apartment with a smile on his face. He was clutching a bag of fresh croissants and the Washington Post in his left hand and sweeping his cane with his right. Three days into his temporary roommate agreement with Annie they'd settled into a routine. Auggie woke first, showered and got dressed, started the coffee maker and headed down to the baker down the street to pick up fresh bagels or croissants for breakfast while Annie showered and got dressed. He was surprised at how easily they'd adjusted to living together, he wasn't usually a fan of having people stay with him, never had been, but with Annie it was different. He couldn't explain it; he just liked having her around. He located the front door of his apartment building and headed upstairs.

"_Honey, I'm home,"_ he called out cheerfully as he entered the apartment. He didn't get a response and his initial thought was that Annie was still in the shower and didn't hear him come in. He dropped the bag with croissants and the newspaper on the table across from the door and quickly folded his cane and put that and his keys in their place. As he dropped his keys on the tray he heard a sniffle.

"_Annie?"_

"_On the couch…"_ she answered, voice husky from crying. Auggie moved quickly across the room and sat down next to Annie and put his arm around her. She snuggled up to him, crying. After holding her for a few minutes Auggie asked her what was wrong.

"_Danielle called. Michael has rented the guesthouse to a co-worker of his and they need me to get my stuff out of there by next weekend. I've got to pack everything up and rent some kind of storage I guess. I thought I'd have more time to find a new place…" _Her voice trailed off again.

"_Annie, we'll sort it out. In the meantime you're more than welcome to stay here, okay?"_

"_Thanks Auggie,"_ Annie whispered into his shoulder.

"_Now, time for breakfast and the news, 'kay?"_ He felt Annie nodding against his shoulder.

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><p>A couple of hours later they were sitting by Auggie's desk, surfing real estate sites. Annie felt more and more hopeless; they'd been going through the same routine every day, with the same result: nothing. The places Annie liked were out of her price range and the places she could afford she didn't want to stay in.<p>

"_I give up Auggie. I'll just live out of my car or something."_

"_Annie, you're not living out of your car. We'll find you a place; we've only been at this for a few days. Don't worry so much."_

"_I'm trying Aug, but it's just hopeless. And before you say anything; I'm not being picky. You haven't seen the pictures of the places I've rejected."_

Auggie held up his hands in defeat and laughed; _"I'm not sayin' anything."_

After a few moments of silence Auggie powered down his computer and they both settled on the sofa. Annie got them both coffee and she read a few articles from the newspaper to Auggie. He couldn't help smiling at how comfortable they were becoming in what could've been an awkward situation.

"_What are you so happy about?"_ Annie asked.

"_Um… Well, I was just thinking about how much I like having you here and it kind of surprises me. I've never been a big fan of sharing my place with anyone. "_

"_I have to say I'm a bit surprised at how much I like this too. When you asked me I had my doubts, I thought it would be a bit awkward."_

Auggie paused a few moments to gather his thoughts before deciding that now was as good a time as ever to confess his feelings to Annie.

"_Annie, you're the best friend I've ever had. The way you just accepted my blindness from the moment we met blew me away. I've had feelings for you beyond the friendship zone for a while now, I was about to ask you out a while back, but then I found out you were dating Scott and then I met Parker and it sort of faded away. These last few days have made the feelings surface again."_ He heard Annie gasp. "Shit," he thought. "Now I've screwed everything up." Then a soft hand grasped his.

"_Wow…"_ Annie gasped. _"I've got feelings for you too Auggie, feelings that goes beyond you being my best friend. I just didn't think you have those kinds of feelings for me and I didn't want to lose you as a friend so I just kind of pushed them away." _

She shifted to sit closer to Auggie and leaned against him, placing a kiss on his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him and kissed the crown of her head. They sat like that in comfortable silence for a while.

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><p>Over dinner that night Annie brought up their confessions from earlier in the day.<p>

"_Auggie, I'd love to go out with you, to be in a relationship with you, but I have to admit one thing is holding me back. You're my best friend and I'm afraid of losing you. What if we're terrible as boyfriend and girlfriend?"_

"_I don't wanna lose you either, you're too important to me. We're both adults and we'll work it out."_

"_How can you be so sure about that?"_

"_Because we're us,"_ he stated firmly._ "Come on Annie, have some faith in us."_

"_Okay, but lets take it slow, I don't want to rush into this and then regret something later. Agreed?"_

"_Yes. How about dinner and a movie tomorrow night? We can go out for dinner and come back here and watch a movie."_

"_Sounds good to me. A really traditional first date,"_ Annie said with a small laugh.

"_It's a date then,"_ Auggie said with a smile.


	3. The Date

**Thanks for the reviews and alerts so far. They're greatly appreciated - each and every one of them. It's also awesome to get alerts & favorites on my completed stories. Fun to know that there are still people enjoying them, even if they're no longer on the front page. :o)**

**Here's another chapter in this story - A&A go on their 1st date and Auggie opens up to Annie. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, I just love to play around with my favorite TV characters.**

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><p><strong>-3. The Date -<strong>

After dinner at the Italian restaurant a couple of blocks from Auggie's place they were heading back to the apartment to watch a movie. Auggie said he was sorry for not taking Annie to a movie theatre; Annie just kissed his cheek and told him it was perfectly fine. After all she'd known Auggie for a couple of years and they had made a few attempts of going to a movie theatre in the past, when a new film they both wanted to see came out, but it was just frustrating to Auggie that he didn't know what was going on half the time. No matter how discreetly Annie tried to whisper descriptions of the no dialogue scenes they ended up getting shushed by other moviegoers and reprimanded by theatre staff. At some point Auggie had decided that he was done with going to movie theatres and Blu-Ray and DVD would have to do. They walked slowly down the street, Auggie was using his cane and Annie had looped her arm with his. She briefly looked up at his face. A smile was gracing his features and it extended to his eyes. He looked so happy and content.

"_What are you so happy about?"_ she asked.

"_That I finally worked up the courage to tell you how I really feel about you and that you share those feelings. I feel like the luckiest man alive to be on a date with you."_

"_And I feel like the luckiest woman alive,"_ Annie answered, pulling herself closer to Auggie's side and he wrapped his arm around her. They walked the rest of the way to his place in silence.

It was almost 1:30 at night when they finally climbed into bed and as they settled in Auggie couldn't help laughing a little.

"_What's so funny?_"

"_I was just thinking about the fact that we shared a bed for three days before going on our first date. Never thought I'd experience that one."_

Annie let out a small laugh and lightly swatted Auggie's shoulder before scooting closer to him.

"_Auggie, you're incorrigible!"_

"_Well known fact Miss Walker,_" he said as Annie settled in against his side. He wrapped his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder and draped her left arm across his chest. They were both tired and soon they drifted off to sleep, both feeling perfectly content about falling asleep in each other's arms.

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><p>The next couple of days were spent at Annie's place, packing up all of her belongings. Annie was grateful for Auggie's help. He was a much better organizer than her and had sorted every detail. Since they still hadn't had any success in the apartment hunt he'd rented a storage room for Annie's stuff and arranged for a moving company to take the stuff over there. From feeling completely overwhelmed and lost she was now feeling like she was in control. She'd gotten a call from the building manager at the safe house and the fumigation was done and she was free to move in there. Auggie had told her it was up to her, but he didn't mind her staying with him until she could find a real place. She'd decided to take him up on that offer. Now they were hip deep in cardboard and all of her belongings were packed and ready for the movers in the afternoon.<p>

"_Looks like we're done,"_ Annie said as she made her way over to where Auggie was taping up a box filled with books. At first she'd been kind of doubtful to how much help he'd be in packing, but those doubts had soon been washed away. _"Thanks for helping me with this Aug. I couldn't have done it without you."_

"_I'm happy to help and now I'm getting hungry. Is there a place to grab some lunch somewhere in the neighborhood?"_

"_You can just cross the yard,"_ Danielle cut in. They hadn't heard her coming up the stairs. _"I was just about to ask you to have lunch with me."_

"_Thanks Danielle, you're a lifesaver. Annie?"_

"_Sure, thanks Danielle. Your food beats the café down the block any time!"_

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><p>Late that evening Annie was sitting on Auggie's sofa with her laptop resting on her knees. She was supposed to be looking for apartments, but part of her just wanted to stay with Auggie and she wasn't really making an effort. Deep down she knew that she'd have to find a place of her own. They'd just been on their first date, and although she'd known Auggie for a couple of years and she was as close to him as she'd ever been to anyone else, it was too soon to move in together.<p>

"_See anything you like?"_ Auggie's voice pulled her out of her musings and she looked up to see him sitting down next to her. He'd changed from his jeans and polo shirt to a pair of sleep pants and a worn t-shirt.

"_Nope. Still nothing,"_ Annie said with a sigh, closing the laptop and putting it on the table in front of her. That done she scooted closer to Auggie and settled in next to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

"_You'll find somewhere. I got lucky when I moved to DC and took over the lease on this place from my cousin. After looking for a place for you over the past few days I realize that I hit the jackpot when I got my hands on a rent-controlled apartment in the middle of Adams Morgan."_

"_Yeah, you did. Seriously Aug, the places I can afford are terrible. I hate to have to move out of the city, but it seems like I might not have a choice, unless I wanna live above an Indian restaurant, which is not happening by the way. I'd hate to show up at work smelling like curry every day."_

"_Good to know. I prefer Jo Malone Grapefruit,"_ Auggie said with a small laugh, tightening his grip around Annie's shoulders. _"It's getting late and you're getting nowhere. Let's go to bed and since tomorrow is Saturday I suggest we take the weekend off from apartment hunting and do something fun. How do you feel about that?"_

"_Sounds wonderful. Bed it is for now."_

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The next morning Annie was surprised to find Auggie fast asleep next to her when she woke up. She rolled over to lie on her side and watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful, perfectly relaxed, his hair all mussed and a little more than a five o'clock shadow. He somehow looked younger. She was about to get up when Auggie stirred, he rolled over to lie on his side, facing her and without opening his eyes he murmured sleepily; _"Mornin' princess. Like the view?"_

Annie scooted closer to him and pulled him into a kiss. As they broke the kiss she whispered into his ear; _"It's the best view there is. But do you have some sort of radar or something?"_

"_Nah, it's just a sixth sense, or actually a fifth. Pretty early on in rehab I started sensing when people were staring at me."_

"_Sorry. I'll try not to do it again. You just looked so peaceful and I couldn't resist."_

Auggie laughed and pulled her in for another kiss.

"_Don't worry about it. I just feel like staring at the blind guy is a bit unfair, as I can't reciprocate."_

They resumed the kissing and it escalated pretty fast, the kissing deepened and got more passionate. Annie removed Auggie's t-shirt and he pulled off her nightgown. As her hands moved to the hem of his sleep pant's he asked if she was sure.

"_I've never been more sure about anything,"_ she whispered. That was all the reassurance Auggie needed and he resumed his kissing and exploring every curve of Annie's body.

An hour later they were tangled up the rumpled sheets, Annie curled up against Auggie's side, her head resting on his shoulder. They were both amazed at how right it felt, and how the lovemaking had lacked some of the usual awkwardness between first time lovers.

"_What time is it?"_ Auggie asked. Annie glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand.

"_10:45 am. Guess we'd better get up,"_ she said and started to get out of bed. Auggie's strong arms held her back.

"_Let's just lay here for a little while longer. What's the rush?"_

"_Nothing really,"_ Annie said, laying back down and turning to face Auggie. _"Auggie, can I ask you something?"_

"_Sure, you can ask me anything."_

"_What was the hardest part?"_

"_Huh?_" Auggie scrunched his brows together in thought, not understanding what she meant.

"_After you lost your sight. How was it like? What was the hardest part?"_

Auggie flopped back to lie on his back and looked to be in deep thoughts.

"_I'm sorry Aug, I didn't mean to pry. I totally understand if you don't wanna talk about it. It's just… I don't know… I've known you for a couple of years now and you pretty much know my full life story. Even if your blindness is not a big deal to you, and it's not to me either, it's part of who you are and something you haven't shared a whole lot about."_

Auggie took a deep breath. It was something he didn't like to talk about. Even if it had been over four years and he'd adjusted and tried his best to make a good life for himself, the memories were still raw and part of him was still grieving everything he'd lost that faithful day in Tikrit. Annie was about to tell him to forget she even asked when he started talking.

"_It's okay Annie. It's not something I share with a lot of people, but I want to share it with you. You're right, I know much more about you than you know about me. After they got me out of Tikrit the base medic patched me up. At that point they didn't know what to make of my lack of sight. After being awarded the Purple Heart by General Oubash I was shipped back to the States, to Walter Reed. After a couple of days of going through a battery of tests they reached the conclusion that the vision loss was permanent. At that point the shock of what had happened, the fact that Nasir was a traitor, and that my entire unit was dead and I'd survived overshadowed the fact that I would never see again. I was sent to the Hines VA hospital in Illinois for my rehab. It's only about an hour from my childhood home in Glencoe and my parents were there when I arrived. My Dad's a psychiatrist and he pushed for me to have therapy to deal with everything, but I refused. We had some nasty fights about it, but at some point he got through to me and I agreed to go to the psychologist at Hines. At first I was pretty resistant, but slowly I opened up and in retrospect I have to agree that he was a great help. My family was a great help too. All of my brothers live in the Chicago area and they were great at coming to see me, taking me to ballgames or just a few rounds at a local pub. I don't think I was very good company, at least not for the first two or three months, but they still came. Part of me wish I lived closer to my family, I miss them sometimes, but my job is here, I've got a great group of friends and co-workers here too. I've got Joan to thank for finding a place for me at the CIA. I know that Henry Wilcox and even Arthur were less than thrilled about keeping me on."_ Auggie paused for a second, to gather his thoughts. Somewhere during his monologue Annie had moved closer to him.

"_Anyway, today I generally don't think much about the fact that I can't see. It might sound strange, but it's just the way it is and I've gotten used to it. Apart from not being able to drive and needing a guide in unfamiliar places, I function pretty much as before. What I still find hard is how people see me. That they see me as 'the blind guy', that they don't see the person behind the white cane and realize that it's just my eyes that don't work. There's nothing wrong with the rest of me. That's maybe the hardest part about it, the part that I still struggle with today, when I meet new people."_

Annie was a bit taken aback by Auggie's sudden sharing. She hadn't expected him to be so candid, and she was deeply moved by how much trust he'd just instilled in her. She brushed a kiss against his cheek.

"_Thanks for sharing all that. I know it wasn't easy for you to relive that."_

"_Annie, you're one of the few people I trust enough to share this with. Now, spilling my gut like that made me hungry. How about we go to the diner for some brunch?"_

"_Sounds like a plan to me."_


	4. The road trip

******Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites on the previous chapter! :o) I'm so happy that so many people are enjoying this story, I hope you like reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**

**The usual disclaimer: I don't own anything. :o)**

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><p><strong>-4: The road trip-<strong>

"_Any thoughts about what to do for the rest of your vacation?"_ Annie asked Auggie over brunch.

"_Not really, I figured we'd keep up the search for a place for you,"_ he shrugged.

"_Your little monologue this morning got me thinking; how about going to Illinois to see your family. If you miss them, why don't take the opportunity to visit when you have time off? And, at the risk of being overly cheeky, I'd love to come along and meet them."_

"_Huh…"_ Auggie looked surprised and for a few seconds he was lost in thougt. _"We've just started dating and you wanna meet my family? You never cease to surprise me Walker. Have to say you're making a good argument though. I actually thought about it right after Joan ordered me to take some time off, but kind of decided not to. If you wanna tag along I might just change my mind."_

"_Auggie, even if we've just taken the step from best friends to being in a relationship, it's not like we've just met each other. We've known each other for a while and you've met some of my family already. And, for your information, I'm in this for the long run. I never would've taken this step with you if it was just a fling."_

"_Well… I feel the same way Annie. I'm tempted to suggest a road trip to Illinois in the 'Vette, but since we've only got eight days of vacation time left it might be a bit too much driving over a short period of time, especially since you're alone in the driving department."_

"_Actually, that sounds awesome! If we leave tomorrow morning we could be in Glencoe Monday afternoon and we could stay 'til Saturday and be back here Sunday. We'd have four full days there, it wouldn't be that bad."_

"_Now you're really tempting me! I'll call Mom when we get back to my place and check how she feels about a visit. She's constantly nagging me about coming home, so I doubt it'll be a problem."_

_ # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # _

When they arrived back at Auggie's place he picked up his landline phone from the cradle on the kitchen counter and settled on the sofa. Annie sat down next to him and he wrapped his arm around her and pushed two on his speed dial. A couple of rings later his mother picked up the phone on the other end.

"_August! How are you?"_

"_Hi Mom, I'm great. How's life in Glencoe?"_

"_Everything is good here. It's so nice to hear your voice, I wish you'd come home soon."_

"_About that, would it be ok if I brought my girlfriend and came home for a few days this coming week? We both got some unexpected time off work."_

"_That would be wonderful August. You're both more than welcome. When will you arrive at O'Hare?"_

"_We won't be flying in. Annie volunteered to drive, so we're driving up in my 'Vette. We're leaving here early tomorrow morning and arrive in Glencoe sometime Monday."_

"_I'll get your room ready for you. I'm so happy you're coming home. August, is your girlfriend your best friend Annie?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_I can't wait to meet her. Call me when you know more about when you'll arrive, ok?"_

"_Yep. I'll call you tomorrow afternoon. Love you Mom. Say hi to Dad."_

"_Love you to August. Bye."_

Auggie pushed the 'end' button and placed the phone on the coffee table in front of him before speaking.

"_Well, she's happy that we're coming."_

"_I bet she is. I guess that's settled then. We'd better pack and get ready to leave early in the morning."_

"_Yep, sounds good to me. Thanks Annie."_

"_For what?"_

"_For volunteering to drive. I haven't been on a proper road trip for years."_

"_You know I love to drive. I'm sure we'll have a great time."_

"_Still, thanks Annie."_

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><p>A small part of Auggie wished he could drive, but riding shotgun with Annie behind the wheel of his beloved Corvette with the top down was the second best thing and he quickly suppressed the longing and decided to enjoy the roar of the engine and the feel of the sun on his face and the wind ruffling his hair. They made good time and it was just past noon on Monday when Annie pulled into the driveway of Auggie's childhood home. Before she'd shut off the engine the front door opened and Auggie's mother came running towards them with a bright smile on her face. Auggie heard his mother approaching and he quickly got out of the car and opened his arms for the hug he knew was coming. Seconds later his mother wrapped his arms around him and he pulled her in for a warm embrace. Holding her in his arms made him realize just how much he'd missed her.<p>

"_I'm so happy you're here August,"_ she whispered into his ear before breaking the embrace and turning to Annie._ "And this must be the lovely Annie. I'm Jillian Anderson, Auggie's mother."_

"_Annie Walker. Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Anderson,"_ Annie said, grasping her hand.

"_It's Jill, please,"_ she said with a warm smile. They got their bags out of the car and Auggie lead the way to his room where they left their bags and quickly freshened up a bit before joining Jill downstairs for lunch.

"_Was the drive up here good?"_ Jill asked over lunch.

"_Great. Weather was fantastic and we had the top down most of the time. I haven't been on a road trip since before Iraq and I didn't realize until today that I've kind of missed it. Even if it's not the same as driving myself I had a good time. Annie's good at giving a running commentary of everything she sees. I do feel a bit bad about not being able to do my part of the driving…"_ Auggie hung his head a little bit.

"_I really like driving, it's been one of my favorite things since I got my permit and with Auggie keeping me companied it was fun. My Dad was a car buff and he would've been green with envy if he saw the 'Vette,"_ Annie said with a smile, placing her hand on Auggie's forearm, giving it a little squeeze.

"_You met August at work, right?"_ Jillian asked, changing the subject.

"_On my first day, right after I was sworn. Auggie was waiting for me outside HR to take me to our boss' office. He was so nice, I think he realized pretty fast how nervous I was and sort of took me under his wing. I wouldn't have survived my first few months at the Agency without his help."_

"_You were pretty clueless Miss Walker,"_ Auggie teased, nudging her with his elbow.

"_Oh har Auggie, you're so not funny. I wasn't that clueless, but I was pulled from training before I was finished on just a few hours notice, so I was really nervous."_

They spent the rest of the meal chatting about Annie and Auggie's lives in DC and how they'd ended up in a relationship. After lunch Annie excused herself to go lay down for a little while, she was a little bit tired from two days of driving. Auggie decided to stay downstairs chat with his mother while she got started on dinner.

"_What's for dinner Mom? Anything I can do to help you?"_

"_Since the weather is nice we're having a big barbecue when your dad gets home. At least a couple of your brothers are coming. I've just got prepare some side dishes; I've got it covered. Just sit down and relax,"_ she said in the tone that Auggie hated. He didn't want to have an argument with his mother, but he was tired of her not seeing him as capable of doing things.

"_Mom, I can still cook. I don't life off takeout and microwave dinners back in DC you know. Please let me help you,"_ he pleaded. He didn't get an immediate response from his mother. He heard her rummaging around the fridge and then she set several items on the counter in front of him.

"_I guess you can do the salad. You know how I like it. All the ingredients are in a big bowl at your two o'clock. The serving bowl is at your twelve and there's a cutting board with and a knife at your six. Okay?"_

"_Got it. Thanks Mom."_

"_For what?"_ She sounded confused.

"_For letting me help you instead of having me sit on a stool feeling useless. I'm glad you're finally realizing that I'm not helpless Mom."_

"_I've never thought you were helpless August, but I might have underestimated what you're capable of, I'll admit that. I promise to do my best to include you in the future."_

She rounded the peninsula and pulled her Auggie into a warm embrace, which he returned. He was happy Annie had talked him into going to Glencoe for a few days and looked forward to spending a few days with his family.


	5. Opening up

**So sorry for not updating in a while. Work is crazy busy these days and I've barely got time to read. I also hit sort of a writers block, but at least I got this little chapter down. Sorry it's not longer. No promises on when the next update will be up.**

**My sincere thanks to all of you that have reviewed, favorites and put this on alert. Those emails always make me feel all warm and fuzzy.**

**The usual disclaimer: Don't own Covert Affairs. **

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><p><strong>-Opening up-<strong>

Jill watched as Auggie methodically shredded the lettuce and moved on to dicing the cucumber. His movements weren't fast, but they were easy and well practiced. It was obvious that this was something he'd done numerous times and she felt a bit stupid for not acknowledging that he was still capable of most of what he did before he lost his sight. He just had to do things in a slightly different way and some things took him a bit more time. She remembered being told that by his instructors at Hines and she realized that Auggie had lived independently in DC since he finished his rehab and he was as fit and healthy as he'd ever been.

"_Mom, I can feel you staring."_ Auggie's voice pulled her out of her musings.

"_Oh, sorry Auggie. I guess I haven't seen you cook since… well in a while."_

"_Don't worry about it. I'm used to it, comes with the territory,"_ Auggie said with a smile and a shrug.

"_So, how is everything going?"_ Jill asked, changing the subject.

"_It hasn't been the greatest spring of my life, but things are getting better."_

"_Oh, what's been going on? You haven't kept in touch much for the last few months, so I'm kind of out of the loop."_

"_It's kind of a long story, but I'll give you the short version. My doctor thought I might be a candidate for this experimental treatment with stem cells, which might have given me some vision back. It turned out to be a negative; I'm not a candidate for the treatment. There's no way to restore my sight and it took me a while to deal with that. It upset me more than I thought it would. At the same time I got the message I wasn't a candidate for the trial the girl I'd been dating for a few months and deeply cared about broke up with me, it was just a lot to deal with all at once. I've just buried myself in work for the past few months; it's always so busy at the Agency. I guess Joan finally got fed up with it and she forced me to take two weeks off. Hence; unexpected time off and here I am."_

"_Oh August, I'm so sorry to hear that."_

"_It's fine Mom, it really is. I've accepted that I'll never see again and I think I've managed to create a good life for myself despite my disability."_

"_I know you have August, and your father and I are incredibly proud of the way you've bounced back and rebuilt your life."_

Auggie swallowed, trying to make the lump that was building in his throat go away. He hadn't had a real talk with his mother for a while and it was becoming far more emotional than he'd anticipated. Still, it felt good to open up to her. His parents had been there for him through his rehab four years earlier and he occasionally did feel guilty about not keeping closer in touch with his family.

About an hour later Martin Anderson arrived home. He smiled at the sight of his youngest son sitting on a stool by the kitchen peninsula while his wife was cooking. It had been a familiar sight in Auggie's junior and senior year of high school; he'd usually sit there and do his homework while his mom prepared dinner. What surprised him was that Auggie was peeling potatoes, it was the first time he'd seen his son do anything like that since he lost his sight in Iraq four years earlier. He was aware that Auggie had tried to convince his mother of the fact that he was still fully capable of doing most of the things he'd done before, but Jill Anderson had a hard time accepting that. At some point Auggie had sort of given up and decided that he didn't want to spend his visits arguing with his mother.

Auggie heard his father's footsteps approaching and put down the potato he was peeling and wiped his hands on a kitchen towel, before sliding off the stool and turning towards his father. Seconds later he was pulled into one of his father's bone crushing bear hugs.

_"Welcome home son, your mother and I are so happy to have you here for a few days. Now, where's this girlfriend of yours?"_

_"I'm happy to be here Dad. Annie was tired from driving and went upstairs for a nap. I'm just going to finish peeling these potatoes for Mom and I'll go wake her up."_

_"Well, I'll just go and change my clothes to something more comfortable. Keep up the good work Auggie,"_ Martin said, patting Auggie's arm before walking out of the room.

Half an hour later Auggie had finished peeling a mountain of potatoes for his mother and he'd even diced about half of them for the potato salad. He couldn't help smiling a little as he climbed the stairs to the second level of his parent's home. It might just be making a salad and peeling potatoes, but the fact that his mother had allowed him to help her prepare dinner felt like a huge victory after battling to make her see him as a capable person for the last four years. He quietly slipped into his room and stood still, listening for a few seconds. Annie's quiet breathing indicated she was sleeping. He crossed the floor and lay down next to her on the bed, as soon as his head hit the pillow Annie snuggled into his side. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

_"Hey there, just wanted to let you know that Dad's home."_

_"Oh my God. Auggie, why did you let me sleep for two hours?"_ Annie said as she glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand.

_"You said you were tired and I happen to know that you didn't sleep very well last night."_

_"How did you know that?"_

_"You were tossing and turning all night, you usually don't do that."_

_"Oh… Well, I guess I'll take a quick shower and freshen up a bit."_

_"I think I'll just lay here while you're doing that,"_ Auggie said, making himself comfortable on the bed.

_"As long as you don't fall asleep on me, go ahead."_ Annie kissed him on the cheek and headed for the en suite bathroom. She felt rested and was excited about the rest of the day and the days ahead with Auggie's family.


End file.
